**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THERE ARE TRILLION OF MICROBES THAT LIVE IN THE INSTESTINES (I.E., GUT MICROBES), WHICHDIRECTLY IMPACT THE HEALTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL. RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS SOME GUTMICROBES MAY BE ABLE TO PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OFDEPRESSION (E.G., NEURO-INFLAMMATION AND NEUROTRANSMITTERS). ONE OF THE MOST EFFICENT WAYS TO MODULATE THE GUT MICROBIOTA IS THROUGH DIET. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY NUTRIENTS THAT INTERACT WITH THE GUT MICROBES AND INFLUENCE THE PROCESSES/PATHWAYS RELEVANT TO DEPRESSION. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGESTS THAT INTAKE OF DIETARY FIBER AND ANTHOCYANINS (A DIETARY ANTIOXIDANTFOUND IN BERRIES) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTIONS IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. COINCIDENTALLY, FIBER AND ANTHOCYANINS ARE METABOLIZED BY GUT MICROBES. THESE GUT MICROBES THEN PRODUCE CERTAIN METABOLITES THAT MAY PREVENT DEPRESSION (I.E., SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACIDS, SCFA). OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO DETERMINE IF DAILY CONSUMPTION OFA WHOLE-FOOD SOURCE OF DIETARY FIBER AND ANTHOCYANINS (VIA FREEZE-DRIED BLUEBERRY POWDER) INCREASES CERTAIN SPECIES OF GUT MICROBES, INCREASES GUT-DERIVED METABOLITES RELEVANT TO DEPRESSION, AND IMPROVES DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. THIS STUDY IS AN ANCILLARY PROJECT TO A DOUBLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL THAT CONSISTS OF A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION IN OLDER, SEDENTARY ADULTS WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS. THIS STUDY WILL PROVIDE EVIDENCE ON THE UTILITY OF FIBER- AND ANTHOCYANIN-RICH AGRICULTURAL FOODS AS A NEW THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE HUMAN HEALTH BY MODULATING THE GUT MICROBES AND METABOLITES RELEVANT TO DEPRESSION.$287,110
· FY2023 · National Institute of Food and Agriculture